Thursday, June 4, 2009

Is this not a HUGE conflict-of-interest?

"05/03/09 - Paul Vallone announces Chuck Apelian as Campaign Manager""Chuck Apelian, who is the Vice Chairman of Community Board 7 and a respected leader in the community, is honored and excited to work with and support Paul to become the next City Councilman."

So...the chair of the Community Board committee that oversees development is running the campaign of the candidate who works as a lobbyist for his daddy's lobbying firm who is paid million of dollars by developers and whose campaign is being financed by real estate developers and special interests.

Did anyone notice the date on the announcement? A month has gone by and not one article in any newspaper??? Can you say under the radar? Why? Crappy, you are amazing. Another major scoop!!!!

Were the members of the community board informed of this? And most importantly of all, did this taint recent decisions made by CB#7? For example, the vote to allow some (but not all) Willets Point businesses to set up shop in College Point now takes on a different perspective.

Can anyone tell this forum where Paul Vallone stands on the Willets Point land theft? What is his commitment to the College Point community? What about the mayor's threat to use the power of his office to push ahead with the police academy without allowing for community input?

This reeks and I hope that people start to wake up and see how tainted the backroom politics and backroom deals really are. Do they think that our tax dollars are monopoly money that can be spent at their whim without oversight. Oh yeah, the name Bloomberg comes to mind. Never mind. We're all doomed!

Met him two or three times now. I think he's a huge asshole. He'll prob win, I see his name everywhere.. everyone seems to love him.. I just hope over the next 5 months things change. I don't get how this is allowed, but hey its NYC I should expect this kind of B.S.

So far, there are 8 candidates who have filed to run for Council District 19:http://www.nyccfb.info/reports/candidate_09.htm

I've lived there for 10 years, and I'm leaning toward Jerry Iannece (http://www.iannece.com/), whom I liked the first time when Tony ran and who has been active and fighting against over-development for years. Another candidate is Kevin Kim (http://www.votekevinkim.com/), who works/worked for Gary Ackerman, and who seems competent, but I'll wait for more facts before I make my decision.

I wish I lived in that council district because I would pull the lever for Steve Behar. I live in north Flushing and he expressed the same concerns about important issues such as overdevelopment, the College Point Corporate Park, Willets Point and the threat of eminent domain, that I share.

The problem is that the local media are doing a piss poor job at introducing the candidates to the constituents in your council district. The same problem exists in my district. That is why the positions that Vallone has on certain issues is very important.

Chuck Apelian and Gene Kelty have ruled CB#7 with an iron fist and I have seen first hand at a Monday night community board meeting how much control they have over the rest of the board members. Therefore, after hearing this announcement (which was not covered by the press although it was made over a month ago)I am now highly suspicious of everything that the board has done, specifically about Willets Point and College Point. Perhaps it is time to call for a federal investigation and I think that the Willets Point business owners should be the first to do so!

"The problem is that the local media are doing a piss poor job at introducing the candidates to the constituents in your council district."

That and the fact that Vallone has placed his signs in key places which is what Behar has not done. In the end the people of Dist. 19 will vote for the most familiar name since most people don't know much about any candidates in general. So if Behar, who has Avella's endorsement is smart, he will get his name out there and not let Vallone or even Iannece take over. Where are your signs, Behar?

"CONTROL OF PRESS MEANS GUESS WHOSE NAME WILL APPEAR VERY OFTEN (FRON PAGE OR BETTER, EH?) AND GUESS WHOSE NAME WILL BE ON PAGE 19"

Most folks don't even read the local papers. RIGHT NOW the most recognizable name is Vallone, based on his daddy and now based on the vulgar amount of signs his campaign has placed up everyone's asses.

Getting back to Chuck (Oh THAT Chuckie) Apelian, has anyone heard from any CB#7 board member about his appointment? This stinks as much as downtown Flushing on a hot summer's day.

Does anyone know when the next board meeting will take place? I'd like to be a fly on the wall. The community board is now going to face some serious credibility issues now that this has gone public. Why was it not reported by the press sooner? I do see the announcement was made on May 3.

I wonder how this will help/hurt the Willets Point proposal. The July 4th fireworks will start early if the Willets Point owners find that there were backroom deals that have negatively impacted their survival. Seriously, did Chuck receive a reward for the CB#7 approval of the plan??? Or could it have been the College Point Corporate Park "victories" recently announced???????

Public Participation is scheduled for approximately 10:10PM but may occur earlier. You can sign up for 3 minutes of speaking time, and express your concern about the possibility of a conflict of interest due to Apelian's leadership of recent CB7 decisions that benefit candidate Vallone.

Public Participation is scheduled for approximately 10:10PM but may occur earlier. You can sign up for 3 minutes of speaking time, and express your concern about the possibility of a conflict of interest due to Apelian's leadership of recent CB7 decisions that benefit candidate Vallone.___________________________________Sounds like a suicide mission, if you get my meaning. Besides, shouldn't the board members themselves bring up this issue? Apelian will probably make sure that there is a positive spin on the appointment, even if it is untrue. Case closed!

If the meeting starts at 7 p.m. and public participation starts at around 10 p.m., it seems like testifying on that issue will be a moot point. Most people will have left the auditorium, especially any reporters. What's the use? Shouldn't the concerns of community members be expressed earlier in the meeting? Another great example of democracy in Queens.

Well, I still say that if they are truly serious, the Willets Point landowners need to call for a federal investigation. What will they uncover? Will they do the appropriate due diligence or will it be something being done to placate the owners...while Bloomturd and buddies "influence" the results. Any thoughts?

But there's no substitute for knocking on doors and talking to the voters. Steve, Jerry, Kevin, whoever, have to come out and tell us what their positions are, and why we should vote for him. Otherwise, as has been pointed out by several others, many people will vote for the candidate with the most name recognition, and that is Paul Vallone. His signs are everywhere, he has a prominent campaign office on Francis Lewis Blvd around 25th Ave, and his name is Vallone, so people will think that he has the influence to bring money and improvements to the area.

CB7 has been derelect in its duties to represent the community for years. Appelian has learned from the best, former Chair Adrian Joyce and present Chair, Gene Kelty. They work for politicians and do as they are told. There are a few good people on that board but they have no say. The real winner of the council race in the 19th district will be jerry iannece. he has put his time in. where did this paul vallone emerge from?

I have been a community activist for over 25 yrs. and never heard of him. What has he done to compare to iannece? Or any other candidate. Papa Vallone may be kicking and screaming since I understand that Iannece has the county nod. It's the best nod they have had in a long time. Kudos also to ann margaret carrozza for openly endorsing iannece.

Take your toys and go home Paul. By the way...where is home? You say you have lived in this district for 14 yrs. yet have voted out of daddy's house until 2005. Isn't that illegal? Someone should look into that!

Please lets all get together. I heard that Paul Vallone while living in NE Queens since 1994 kept voting in Astoria until 2005!!! That's how much he cares about our community. I am going to Com. Bd. meeting tomorrow nite.

whats with all the anonymous posts. no one has the guts to use their real name or are the posts all from the same person. i live in the district and work in the district. i am a friend of paul vallone and you are all wrong about him. he is a great guy and very passionate about what he is doing. have you ever met him and got to talk to him? probably not. remember the saying: he who casts the first stone. well i see a lot of casting but no one stepping up to the plate to show what they are made of. and there are those of you that think iannece should win because he put in his time, he paid his dues. what a crock of crap. the best person should be elected not someone who failed already so now people feel bad for him. and which of these low life canidates is going around stealing all the vallone signs. now that is the kind of child i want in that seat.

Talk about a crock of crap!. What failures are you talking about concerning Iannece? All the enviromental and civic projects he initiated and solved for our community? His countless hours spent on the community board as a volunteer? Yes he ran for City Council before, but I am a believer of the old motto that it's better to try and fail, then not to try at all. Speaking of not trying, what has Vallone done for our community? The last I heard the 19th CD didn't have a prison to utilize his vast knowledge of the Department of Correction. What kind of self respect can a forty something year old man have, if his only claim to fame is his Daddy's name. Answer these questions Mr. Paolino.

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